by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Louis, Duke of Burgundy, the eldest of the three sons of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, was born at the Palace of Versailles in France on August 16, 1682, and received the title of Duke of Burgundy. At the time of his birth, Louis’ grandfather Louis XIV was King of France and his father was the heir apparent to the French throne. After Louis’ birth, his father was called Le Grand Dauphin and his son Louis, who was second in the line of succession, was called Le Petit Dauphin. However, King Louis XIV outlived both his son and his grandson and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV when he died in 1715.

Louis had two younger brothers:

• Philippe, Duke of Anjou, later King Felipe V of Spain (1683 – 1746), married (1) Maria Luisa of Savoy, had four sons including King Luis I of Spain and King Fernando VI of Spain (2) Elisabeth Farnese, had six children including King Carlos III of Spain
• Charles, Duke of Berry (1686 – 1714), married Marie Louise Élisabeth of Orléans, had three children who all died before they were one month old.

Louis and his two brothers were placed in the care of the royal governess Louise de Prie de La Mothe-Houdancourt who had also been their father’s governess.  The brothers were then placed under the care of Paul de Beauvilliers as their governor and were tutored by François Fénelon, Archbishop of Cambrai.  When Louis was eight-years-old, his mother died at the Palace of Versailles on April 20, 1690, at the age of 29.

In 1696, when Louis was fourteen-years-old, he was betrothed to Marie Adélaïde of Savoy, the eldest daughter of Vittorio Amadeo II, Duke of Savoy (later King of Sardinia) and of Anne Marie of Orléans, a niece of King Louis XIV. The betrothal was the result of the Treaty of Turin in which Marie Adélaïde’s father agreed to support France in the Nine Years’ War. The treaty also stipulated that eleven-year-old Marie Adélaïde be sent to France to prepare her for her future role. On December 6, 1697, Marie Adelaïde’s twelfth birthday, the young couple were married at the Palace of Versailles.

Louis and Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy had three sons:

• Louis, Duke of Brittany (1704 – 1705), died from convulsions
• Louis, Duke of Brittany (1707 – 1712), died from measles
• Louis XV, King of France (1710 – 1774), married Marie Leszczyńska, had ten children

In terms of mental ability and willingness to work, Louis surpassed his father. He was considered extremely intelligent and politically gifted. In 1702, at the age of twenty, Louis was permitted to attend the meetings of the King’s Council, something his father had not been allowed to do until he was thirty years old. In 1708, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Louis was given the command of an army in Flanders which managed to capture Ghent and Bruges surprisingly quickly.

In the spring of 1711, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin caught smallpox, apparently from a priest who was distributing Holy Communion after he had visited a smallpox victim, and died on April 14, 1711, at the age of 49. His son Louis, who had been styled Le Petit Dauphin, became the heir to the French throne but in less than a year, he too was dead.

On February 12, 1712, Louis’ 26-year-old wife Marie Adélaïde died from measles. Louis dearly loved his wife and stayed by her side throughout her illness. He caught the disease and died six days after her death, on February 18, 1712, aged 29, at the Château de Marly in France. The couple was buried together at the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional burial site of the Kings of France and the French royal family.

Their five-year-old elder son, the Duke of Brittany, succeeded as Dauphin but he also developed measles. He died three weeks later on March 8, 1712, apparently from being bled to death by the doctors. Louis and Marie Adélaïde’s younger son, the future King Louis XV, also developed measles but survived because of his governess Charlotte de La Motte Houdancourt, Duchess of Ventadour. Deciding that she would not allow her younger charge to be bled by the doctors, Madame de Ventadour locked herself up with three nursery maids and refused to allow the doctors near the boy. The two-year-old survived and became King of France upon the death of his great-grandfather, King Louis XIV, three years later.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis de Bourbon, duc de Bourgogne. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Bourbon,_duc_de_Bourgogne [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis, Duke of Burgundy. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis,_Duke_of_Burgundy [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Marie Adélaïde of Savoy. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marie_Ad%C3%A9la%C3%AFde_of_Savoy [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis de France (1682-1712). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_France_(1682-1712) [Accessed 31 Oct. 2018].
• Fraser, A. (2006). Love and Louis XIV. New York: Nan A. Talese Doubleday.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Louis of France was the only child of King Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain to survive childhood. As the heir apparent to the French throne, he was styled Dauphin of France and was called Le Grand Dauphin after the birth of his son Louis who was called Le Petit Dauphin. However, King Louis XIV outlived his son and his grandson and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV when he died in 1715.

Louis was born on November 1, 1661, at the Château de Fontainebleau in France and was the eldest of the six children of his parents. All of his siblings died in childhood:

• Anne-Élisabeth of France (born and died 1662)
• Marie-Anne of France (born and died 1664)
• Marie-Thérèse of France, Madame Royale  (1667 – 1672)
• Philippe Charles, Duke of Anjou (1668 – 1671)
• Louis François, Duke of Anjou (born and died 1672)

Until he was seven years old, Louis was placed under the care of the royal governesses Julie d’Angennes and Louise de Prie de La Mothe-Houdancourt.  Louis was then placed under the care of Charles de Sainte-Maure, Duc de Montausier as his governor and was tutored by Jacques Bénigne Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux who found his pupil a poor student. The most enduring thing his tutor was able to teach him was an appreciation for antiques, in particular medals, sculpture, porcelain, and gems. In the long run, Louis’ education taught him more about obedience to his father than the art of governing the Kingdom of France.

In 1668, seven-year-old Louis was betrothed to his eight-year-old second cousin Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria, the eldest daughter of Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria and Henriette Adelaide of Savoy. Maria Anna Victoria was carefully educated for her future role and looked forward to being the Dauphine of France. Besides her native German, she was taught to speak French, Italian, and Latin. The couple married in a proxy ceremony in Munich in the Electorate of Bavaria on January 28, 1680. Louis and Maria Anna Victoria first met on March 7, 1680, the day of their religious wedding at Saint Etienne Cathedral in Châlons-sur-Marne, France. Maria Anna Victoria was the first Dauphine of France since Mary, Queen of Scots married the future King François II of France in 1558.

Louis and Maria Anna Victoria had three children:

• • Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petit Dauphin (1682 – 1712), married Maria Adelaide of Savoy, had three children including the future King Louis XV of France
  • Philippe, Duke of Anjou, later King Felipe V of Spain (1683 – 1746), married (1) Maria Luisa of Savoy, had four sons including King Luis I of Spain and King Fernando VI of Spain (2) Elisabeth Farnese of Parma, had six children including King Carlos III of Spain
  • Charles, Duke of Berry (1686 – 1714), married Marie Louise Élisabeth of Orléans, had three children, all died before they were one month old.

Louis showed little interest in politics. He was not allowed to attend the meetings of the King’s Council until he was thirty years old. However, he was one of the critics of the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau which revoked the 1598 Edict of Nantes that granted the Protestant Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution. During the Nine Years’ War, Louis was a brave and skilled commander and was given the nominal command of the Siege of Philippsburg in 1688.

Maria Anna Victoria’s ill health made it difficult to carry out her duties. Her father-in-law King Louis XIV was unsympathetic and falsely accused her of hypochondria. She died at the Palace of Versailles on April 20, 1690, at the age of 29. An autopsy revealed several internal disorders that vindicated her complaints of illness.

In 1694, Louis secretly married his lover Marie Émilie de Joly de Choin, a lady-in-waiting at the French court. No details of the wedding ceremony are known but in a letter dated July 19, 1694, Louis referred to Marie Émilie as his wife to his father’s second morganatic wife Madame de Maintenon. Marie Émilie was given the title of Dauphine and continued to be officially referred to as Mademoiselle de Choin. The marriage was not officially recognized and Marie Émilie did not participate in court life.

In the spring of 1711, Louis caught smallpox, apparently from a priest who was distributing Holy Communion after he had visited a smallpox victim. Louis had always been healthy and robust, so his illness shocked the people of Paris, the French court, and the royal family. On April 14, 1711, Louis, Dauphin of France died at the Château de Meudon in France at the age of 49. He was buried in the Basilica of St. Denis, outside Paris. His son Louis, who had been styled Le Petit Dauphin, became the heir to the throne but in less than a year, he too was dead from measles.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis, Grand Dauphin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis,_Grand_Dauphin [Accessed 30 Oct. 2018].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis de France (1661-1711). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_France_(1661-1711) [Accessed 30 Oct. 2018].
• Fraser, A. (2006). Love and Louis XIV. New York: Nan A. Talese Doubleday.
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Anna_Victoria_of_Bavaria [Accessed 30 Oct. 2018].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the younger son of Louis XIII, King of France and Anne of Austria, Infanta of Spain, was born September 21, 1640, at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris. At the time of his birth, he was created Duke of Anjou.

Philippe had one brother:

• Louis XIV, King of France (1638 – 1715), married (1) Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, had six children but only one survived childhood (2) Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, morganatic marriage, no children

Along with his elder brother Louis, Philippe was raised by the royal governess Françoise de Souvré, Marquise de Lansac until 1643, when Marie-Catherine de Senecey took over. Philippe’s father King Louis XIII died in 1643 and his five-year-old brother then began his 72-year reign as King Louis XIV.

Prime Minister Cardinal Jules Mazarin and Philippe’s mother Queen Anne feared that Philippe would become a source of conflict and harm his brother’s power just as Gaston, Duke of Orléans had done to his brother King Louis XIII. As a result, Philippe was raised “as a girl” to make him effeminate and weak, the total opposite of his brother King Louis XIV. He was treated and dressed like a girl, showered with jewelry and clothes with any masculine behavior deliberately suppressed. Philippe was well educated by tutors chosen by Cardinal Mazarin, emphasizing languages, history, literature, mathematics, and dancing. In 1660, after his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans died, Philippe was created Duke of Orléans.

During the English Civil War (1642–1651), Philippe’s paternal aunt Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England, and her youngest child and Philippe’s first cousin Henrietta (born 1644) sought refuge at the French court. Mother and daughter were given apartments at the Palais du Louvre, the use of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and a pension, much of which was given to King Charles I in England and to royalist exiles in France. In January 1649, King Charles I was beheaded, and Henrietta and her mother moved to the Palais Royal with her cousins King Louis XIV and Philippe, Duke of Orléans, and their mother.

Henrietta Maria wanted her daughter to marry her cousin King Louis XIV but his mother did not favor the marriage. Instead, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Spain, another first cousin, in 1660. Also in 1660, the monarchy was restored in England and Henrietta’s eldest brother became King Charles II. Now that Henrietta was the sister of the English king, her cousin Philippe became interested in marrying her. Philippe had homosexual affairs but apparently, he was intent on fulfilling his dynastic responsibility of having children. The cousins married on April 1, 1661, and moved into the Palais des Tuileries. Although Philippe and Henrietta had three children, the paternity of the children was doubted by some members of the court as Henrietta had affairs, including an affair with her husband’s lover Guy Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche.

Today’s Jacobite claim to the British throne goes through Philippe and Henrietta’s younger daughter Anne Marie. Through her mother, Anne Marie was a granddaughter of King Charles I of England. When Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) and his brother Cardinal Henry Stuart died without legitimate issue, Anne Marie’s descendants inherited the Jacobite claim.

Philippe and Henrietta’s children:

• Marie Louise of Orléans (1662 – 1689), married Carlos II, King of Spain, no children
• Philippe Charles of Orléans, Duke of Valois (1664 – 1666), died in early childhood
• Anne Marie of Orléans (1669 – 1728), married Vittorio Amadeo II, King of Sardinia, had five children

On June 30, 1670, Henrietta died at the age of 26. There were rumors that her husband’s lover Philippe, Chevalier de Lorraine had poisoned her. She was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, the burial site of the Kings of France and their families. While Henrietta was mourned at the French court, she was not mourned by her husband due to their strained relationship. Philippe’s brother King Louis XIV wanted a male heir to continue the Orléans line and looked for a second wife for Philippe himself.

King Louis XIV rejected many potential second brides for his brother before settling on the Protestant Princess Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, known as Liselotte. She was the only daughter of Karl I Ludwig, Elector Palatine and Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel. Liselotte’s paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England and granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Liselotte converted to Roman Catholicism and married Philippe on November 19, 1671, at Saint Etienne Cathedral in Châlons, France.

Liselotte acted as a mother to Philippe’s children by Henrietta and maintained correspondence with them throughout their lives. Philippe and Liselotte had three children:

• Alexandre Louis d’Orléans, Duke of Valois (1673 – 1676), died in childhood
• Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (1674 – 1723) married his cousin Françoise Marie de Bourbon, a legitimized daughter of King Louis XIV and one of his mistresses Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan, had eight children
• Élisabeth Charlotte d’Orléans (1676 – 1744) married Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, had thirteen children, were the grandparents of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

Philippe’s careful investment and management of his various estates made him a wealthy man,  and his wealth greatly increased when he inherited the fortune of his extremely wealthy paternal first cousin Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier upon her death in 1693. Philippe is acknowledged as the biological and financial founder of the House of Orléans. In his later life, Philippe maintained his lavish lifestyle easily and he found much satisfaction in the activities of his children and grandchildren.

On June 9, 1701, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans died from a stroke at the Château de Saint-Cloud at the age of 60. He was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis, near Paris. His wife Liselotte survived Philippe by twenty-one years, dying at the Château de Saint-Cloud at age 70 on December 8, 1722.

Philippe’s descendants include King Felipe VI of Spain, King Philippe of the Belgians, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Henri, Count of Paris, the Orléanist pretender to the French throne, and Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, the pretender to the Italian throne.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philippe I. de Bourbon, duc d’Orléans. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_I._de_Bourbon,_duc_d%E2%80%99Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_I,_Duke_of_Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Philippe d’Orléans (1640-1701). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_(1640-1701) [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
• Fraser, Antonia. (2006). Love and Louis XIV. New York: Nan A. Talese Doubleday.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Gaston, Duke of Orléans could be considered the black sheep of his family. Twice he had to leave France for conspiring against the government of his brother King Louis XIII. When his brother refused to grant permission for Gaston to marry Marguerite of Lorraine after the death of his first wife, Gaston married her anyway and kept the marriage secret. Because of his participation against the government in a series of civil wars, Gaston was exiled to one of his homes for the last seven years of his life.

Gaston, Duke of Orléans was born on April 24, 1608, at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, France. He was the third but the second surviving of the three sons and the fifth of the six children of Henri IV, King of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. At birth, he was given the title of Duke of Anjou. During the reign of his brother King Louis XIII, Gaston was known as Monsieur, the title used by the eldest living brother of the King of France. Gaston was raised with his siblings by the royal governess Françoise de Montglat at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside of Paris.

Gaston had five siblings:

• King Louis XIII of France (1601 – 1643), married Anne of Austria. Infanta of Spain, had two surviving sons including King Louis XIV of France
• Elisabeth of France (1602 – 1644) married Felipe IV, King of Spain, had one surviving daughter Marie Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain who married her first cousin King Louis XIV of France
• Christine of France (1606 – 1663), married Vittoria Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, had seven children
• Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607 – 1611), died in childhood
• Henrietta Maria of France (1609 – 1669), married King Charles I of England, had four surviving children including King Charles II of England and King James II of England

On May 14, 1610, when Gaston was two-years-old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. While traveling through Paris, Henri’s carriage was stopped on the Rue de Ferronnerie. A Catholic zealot, François Ravaillac, took the opportunity to rush up to the carriage and stab the king twice in the chest. Quickly subdued, Ravaillac was taken into custody and later executed. The king was taken to the Palais du Louvre where he died. Christine’s nine-year-old brother ascended the French throne as King Louis XIII. The widowed Queen, Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent for her son.

After the death in 1611 of his elder brother Nicolas Henri, Gaston became the heir presumptive to the French throne. King Louis XIII, Gaston’s brother, and his wife Queen Anne produced only four stillborn children during the first twenty-three years of their marriage. In 1638, the King and Queen finally had a son who would become King Louis XIV. Because Gaston was the heir to the throne for so long, ambitious nobles repeatedly involved him in their rebellions against his brother’s prime ministers Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin.

On August 6, 1626, when he was eighteen-years-old, Gaston was married against his will to the immensely wealthy Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier in her own right. At the time of his marriage, Gaston was created Duke of Orléans. Marie was the only child of Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier and Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse, Duchess of Joyeuse in her own right. Despite Gaston’s aversion to the marriage, King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu were determined that the marriage should take place because of the Duchess of Montpensier’s fortune. The marriage lasted less than a year. On May 29, 1627, Marie gave birth to a daughter and then died a few days later, on June 4, 1627, at the Palais du Louvre in Paris at the age of twenty-one. Her infant daughter Anne Marie Louise inherited her fortune and titles. Anne Marie Louise never married and when she died in 1693, her fortune was handed over to Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, King Louis XIV’s only sibling.

Gaston and Marie had one daughter:

• Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier, later called the Grande Mademoiselle (1627 – 1693), unmarried

In 1631, Gaston was living in the Duchy of Lorraine, escaping from the wrath of Cardinal Richelieu. There he fell in love with Marguerite of Lorraine, daughter of François II, Duke of Lorraine and Christina of Salm. At the time, Marguerite’s brother Charles IV was the Duke of Lorraine. The Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Lorraine were enemies and King Louis XIII refused to grant his brother permission to marry Marguerite. Despite this, Gaston and Marguerite were married in a secret ceremony in the presence of her family on January 2, 1632.

Later in 1632, the marriage was revealed to King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu by Henri II, Duke of Montmorency, a former ally of Gaston, shortly before his execution. Gaston’s marriage was declared void by a French court in September 1634, and an assembly of the French clergy agreed with the court’s decision on the grounds that a Prince of the Blood, especially an heir to the throne, could only marry with the permission of the king. Gaston had no choice but to accept the annulment of his marriage.

When King Louis XIII was on his deathbed in May 1643, he forgave Gaston and permitted him to marry Marguerite. In July 1643, Gaston and Marguerite were married by Jean-François de Gondi, Archbishop of Paris, and the Duke and Duchess of Orléans were finally received at court. When Gaston’s mother died in 1642, she bequeathed to him the Luxembourg Palace that she had purchased for her residence after her husband was assassinated.  This became the couple’s residence in Paris.

Gaston and Marguerite had five children, all born after their 1643 marriage. Only three daughters survived childhood:

• Marguerite Louise of Orléans (1645 – 1721) married Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, had three children whose marriages were all childless
• Élisabeth Marguerite of Orléans (1646 – 1696) married Louis Joseph of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, had one son who died in childhood
• Françoise Madeleine of Orléans (1648 – 1664) married her maternal first cousin Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy, no children
• Jean Gaston of Orléans, Duke of Valois (1650 – 1652) died in early childhood
• Marie Anne of Orléans (1652 – 1656) died in early childhood

From 1628 – 1653, a series of civil wars, called The Fronde, occurred in France. During these civil wars, there was a rebellion against the government by members of the nobility and discontented citizens of Paris. Eventually, the government of King Louis XIV triumphed. Gaston had moved indecisively from one side to the other during the wars and after The Fronde was over, he was exiled to one of his homes, the Château de Blois, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Gaston, Duke of Orléans died February 2, 1660, at the Château de Blois at the age of 51. He was buried at the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional burial place of the French royals, in St. Denis, a suburb of Paris.  Gaston’s wife Marguerite survived her husband by twelve years, dying April 13, 1672, at the age of 56, and was also buried at the Basilica of St. Denis.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Gaston de Bourbon, duc d’Orléans. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_de_Bourbon,_duc_d%E2%80%99Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Gaston, Duke of Orléans. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston,_Duke_of_Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 28 Oct. 2018].
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_de_France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Tragically, on April 15, 2019, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) caught on fire and sustained significant damage, including the destruction of the spire and much of the roof. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Notre-Dame will be rebuilt, stating “It’s part of the fate, the destiny of France, and our common project over the coming years. And I am committed to it.”

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Part of Paris, Banks of the Seine. Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII of France and Pope Alexander III. The high altar was consecrated in 1189, the 223 foot-high towers were built between 1210 and 1250, and the church was officially completed in 1345.

• Official Website: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris does not have as many royal connections as Westminster Abbey in London, England. Coronations of Kings of France were traditionally held at Reims Cathedral in Reims, France. The Basilica of Saint-Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis is the burial place of the Kings of France. The remains of all but three monarchs of France from the 10th century until 1789 are interred at Saint-Denis.

• Unofficial Royalty: French Royal Burial Sites – House of Bourbon, House of Bonaparte, House of Orléans

However, several significant royal events have occurred at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. The information has been compiled from articles at Unofficial Royalty.

December 16, 1431: Nine-year-old King Henry VI of England is crowned King of France

King Charles VI of France suffered from some kind of mental illness (he thought he was made of glass) and his son was not a great prospect as king, and so the old dynastic claim to the throne of France, first pursued by King Edward III of England, was renewed. King Henry V of England, the father of King Henry VI of England, demanded the complete restoration of the Angevin Empire, including Normandy, to England, part of the Hundred Year’s War. When the English army reached the walls of Paris, negotiations for peace were started. This resulted in the Treaty of Troyes, an agreement that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. The treaty also arranged for the marriage of Charles VI’s daughter Catherine of Valois to Henry V and the disinheritance of the Dauphin of France (the future King Charles VII of France) from the French succession.

On June 2, 1420, King Henry V married Catherine of Valois in Troyes, France. Two years later, King Henry V succumbed to dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, leaving a nine-month-old son to inherit his throne. King Charles VI of France died a couple of months after Henry V, making the young Henry VI King of England and King of France. Henry VI was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on November 6, 1429. Two years later, he was crowned King of France at Notre Dame de Paris in a ritual similar to that established by his great-grandfather King Charles V of France. This was an attempt to counter the coronation of Henry VI’s uncle and rival, Charles VII of France, who had been crowned at Reims Cathedral in 1429. Before Henry VI came of age, English rule in France had begun a steady decline with Joan of Arc‘s campaign in support of Dauphin of France, later King Charles VII of France. By 1453, only Calais remained of Henry V’s French conquests.

********************

January 1, 1537: James V, King of Scots is married to Madeleine of Valois

After the Battle of Flodden in 1514, where James IV, King of Scots led an invading army into England, was defeated and died in the battle, Scotland wanted to strengthen their alliance with France. The Treaty of Rouen was signed in 1517 and one of the provisions was for James V, King of Scots to marry a French princess.  James V was the son of James IV and Margaret Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VII of England and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. When  James V reached a marriageable age, talks began regarding marriage with Madeleine of Valois, the daughter of King François I of France and his first wife Claude, Duchess of Brittany. However, Madeleine’s ill health was an issue and another French bride, Mary of Bourbon, was offered as a substitute. When James V came to France to meet Mary of Bourbon, he met Madeleine and decided to marry her. Because of his daughter’s health issues, François I was reluctant to agree to the marriage, but eventually, he did so. Madeleine of Valois and James V, King of Scots were married on January 1, 1537, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The couple arrived in Scotland on May 19, 1537, after months of celebrations in France, with Madeleine’s health having further deteriorated. Madeleine wrote a letter to her father on June 8, 1537, saying that she was feeling better and that her symptoms had subsided. Despite this, on July 7, 1537, Madeleine died in her husband’s arms, a month short of her seventeenth birthday.

********************

April 24, 1558: Mary, Queen of Scots is married to François, Dauphin of France

James V, King of Scots had died in 1542 leaving his six-day-old daughter Mary to succeed him as Queen of Scots. In 1548, because of English hostilities, and fearful for Mary’s safety, the Scots appealed to France for help. Henri II, King of France proposed to unite France and Scotland by marrying the young Queen of Scots to his three-year-old son and heir to the French throne François. In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament approved Mary’s marriage to François, Dauphin of France. On August 7, 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years.

On April 24, 1558, 15-year-old Mary married 14-year-old François, Dauphin of France outside Notre-Dame de Paris. It was a marriage that could have given the future kings of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary’s great-grandfather, King Henry VII of England. A little more than a year after the wedding, a great tragedy occurred in France, when François’s father King Henri IV was killed in a tournament and his son succeeded him as King François II of France.

After only a 17-month reign, François II, King of France, aged 16, died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess. Left a childless widow, Mary decided to return to Scotland, where she married two more times, lost her throne, and was eventually beheaded after being held captive in England for 18 years.

********************

August 18, 1572: King Henri III of Navarre is married to Marguerite of Valois

Henri, who was the first French king of the House of Bourbon, was the son of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme. Although he was baptized in the Catholic Church, he was raised as a Protestant. Upon his mother’s death on June 9, 1572, Henri took the throne as King Henri III of Navarre. Just months later, on August 18, 1572, at Notre Dame de Paris, Henri married Marguerite of Valois, the daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. As Henri was a Protestant Huguenot, he was not permitted inside the cathedral so the ceremony was held just outside of the building.

Days later, the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre took place, in which thousands of Protestant Huguenots were killed. Henri narrowly escaped death, mostly thanks to his new Catholic wife, and his promise to convert to Catholicism. In 1584, Henri became the heir-presumptive to the French throne, as the last heir to King Henri III of France had died. Henri, Marguerite’s husband, was the most senior agnatic descendant of King Louis IX, and therefore the rightful heir. In 1589, King Henri III of France, brother of Marguerite, was assassinated, and Henri succeeded as King Henri IV of France.

In a loveless and childless marriage, and knowing that he needed an heir, Henri IV had begun negotiations to end his first marriage to Marguerite of Valois. He hoped to marry his mistress but those plans were squelched by his ministers. Instead, he married Marie de’ Medici and the couple had six children. Marguerite, who never remarried, remained a favorite at court and maintained a remarkably close relationship with her former husband and his new wife. Henri IV was assassinated in 1610.

********************

December 2, 1804: Coronation of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French and his first wife Joséphine

Napoléon I, Emperor of the French was born Napoleone di Buonaparte on the island of Corsica, then part of France and now part of Italy. When he was in his twenties, he adopted the more French-sounding Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoléon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, he rose to prominence and by the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Napoléon was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815.

Napoléon married Joséphine de Beauharnais (born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean) in 1796. Through her first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais (who was guillotined during the French Revolution), Joséphine is the ancestor of the royal families of Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, and Luxembourg.

Napoléon and Joséphine were crowned Emperor and Empress of the French in an extremely elaborate ceremony presided over by Pope Pius VII. Napoléon was anointed by Pope Pius VII who was then about to crown him. However, Napoléon went to the altar, took the crown and placed it upon his own head. He then replaced the crown with a laurel wreath of gold made in the ancient Roman style and crowned his wife, who knelt before him.

Joséphine and Napoléon’s marriage was childless and in 1809, Napoléon decided to divorce his wife so he could marry again and his new wife produce an heir. Desperately upset upon first hearing the news about the divorce, Joséphine ultimately agreed. After their divorce, Napoléon insisted that Joséphine retain the title of Empress. Joséphine received a pension of 5 million francs per year and several residences.

Napoléon married Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, the eldest child of Emperor Franz I of Austria and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Marie Louise gave birth to a son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte in 1811. Young Napoléon died of tuberculosis at the age of 21. Regarding Marie Louise, Napoléon said that he had married a womb.

Napoléon’s various invasions throughout Europe resulted in the collapse of his empire and his defeat by a coalition of European nations. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany but escaped and took control of France once again. He was soon defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later. Napoléon’s last words were, “France, army, head of the army, Joséphine.”

********************

January 30, 1853 – Napoléon III, Emperor of the French is married to Eugénie de Montijo

Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, was the last monarch of France, reigning from 1852 until 1870. He was born Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (but typically known as Louis-Napoléon). His parents were Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland (younger brother of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French) and Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Emperor Napoléon’s first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais).

The French Revolution of 1848 led to the abdication of King Louis-Philippe, and the declaration of the Second Republic. In September 1848, Louis-Napoléon was elected to the French National Assembly. He immediately threw his hat into the ring to become President of the French Republic and on December 20, 1848, was declared the winner of the election. Taking the title Prince-President, Louis-Napoléon took up residence at the Élysée Palace.

Not content being simply a Prince-President, he arranged for the Senate to schedule a referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoléon took the throne as Napoléon III, Emperor of the French. He quickly made the Tuileries Palace his official residence.

After being turned down by several European princesses, Napoléon III found his future bride, Spanish-born Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick on May 5, 1826, in Granada, Spain. Known as Eugénie de Montijo, she was the daughter of Spanish nobleman Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero and María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closbourn y de Grevigné.

Napoléon III and Eugénie were married in a civil ceremony on January 29, 1853, at the Tuileries Palace in Paris The following day, a much grander religious ceremony was held at Notre Dame de Paris. The couple had one son Napoléon, Prince Imperial who died fighting in the Zulu War in South Africa in 1879.

In July 1870, France entered the Franco-Prussian War. Without significant allied support, and with unprepared and limited forces, the French army was quickly defeated. Emperor Napoléon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan and quickly surrendered. As word reached Paris, the Third Republic was declared on September 4, 1870, ending – for the last time – the French monarchy.

********************

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.